| | Content The M²ARE project towards the maritime sector decarbonisation
Key updates from the project 2.1. AirLiquide progresses in methanol distillation
2.2. Everllence engine tests
Networking activities, online resources & events
3.1. Joint workshop at the European Biomass Conference & Exhibition in the Hague, The Netherlands (19 - 22 of May 2026)
3.2. New outreach articles out
3.3. Methanol production calculator
3.4. Latest publications
3.5. M²ARE #2 Webinar
3.6. News and updates from the EU projects’ landscape
Future activities
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| We are excited to announce the release of the third issue of M²ARE newsletter, the Horizon Europe project focusing on renewable methanol production for the shipping industry. |
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1 - The M²ARE project towards the maritime sector decarbonisation |
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| The maritime transport sector, a cornerstone to global trade, has ambitious decarbonization targets. Alternative fuels are becoming more and more relevant. To meet the significant demand for decarbonized fuels, M²ARE seeks to develop and demonstrate an innovative process for producing "Maritime Methanol." This novel, low-cost, low-carbon methanol grade, derived from biogenic CO₂ and renewable H₂, is intended to assist the global shipping industry in lowering its CO₂ emissions. |
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| | 2 - Key updates from the project |
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| 2.1. AirLiquide progresses in methanol distillation ⚗️ |
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| Air Liquide R&D has designed and constructed a simplified, one-stage, high-efficiency pilot distillation column. During its initial test campaign of over 1,000 hours, it successfully demonstrated the production of various grades of maritime methanol. These grades include high-purity methanol as well as methanol containing more than 20wt.% water. By simplifying the purification step, we expect lower CAPEX and OPEX for producing maritime methanol. The methanol produced during these tests is subsequently used for engine testing at Everllence. |
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| Fig. 1 - Newly commissioned crude methanol distillation column for tailor-made Maritime Methanol. © Air Liquide (coordinator of the M²ARE project). |
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| 2.2. Everllence engine tests 🚢 |
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| The methanol produced by Air Liquide R&D within the framework of the M²ARE project was successfully utilized in a high-speed single-cylinder engine test campaign at Everllence. The campaign comprised approximately 130 engine operating hours and investigated four different fuel variants across a wide range of operating conditions. Valuable insights and key learnings were generated, supporting the decarbonization of the marine industry while maintaining safety and reliability. |
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| 3 - Networking activities, online resources & events |
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| 3.1. Joint workshop at the European Biomass Conference & Exhibition in the Hague, The Netherlands (19 - 22 of May 2026) 🔊 |
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| This event gained experts from five different EU projects (M²ARE, Cocpit, Seafairer, Poseidon and NextFuel) working to develop advanced biofuels for sustainable shipping sector from five. 👇 Click on the button below to know more! 👇 |
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| | | Figure 2, 3, 4 & 5: Pictures from the joint workshop panel session (EUBCE 2026). Source: ETA Florence |
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| | | 3.2. New outreach articles out 📜 |
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| We have recently published two essential outreach articles on our website that break down both the regulatory and technical pillars of our project. One, explore how the evolving European policy landscape—including FuelEU Maritime and RED III—is accelerating the transition toward zero-emission vessels in Marine Regulations: Towards a Sustainable Shipping Fuel Production. Then, for a closer look at the science driving our consortium, dive into the technological architecture of M²ARE, where we map out the core engineering and design innovation behind our catalytic methanol production. |
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| Technical Article 👆 Click on the image to read
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| Policy oriented article 👆 Click on the image to read
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| | 3.3. Methanol production calculator ⚙️ |
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| Are you looking to evaluate the potential of renewable methanol production? For those who haven’t had the chance to test it yet, we highly recommend checking out our interactive Methanol Production Calculator Tool. Developed to bridge the gap between technical data and practical application, this user-friendly digital tool allows stakeholders and industry operators to estimate key outputs and process parameters. |
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| | | 3.4. M²ARE latest publications 📃 🔗 |
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| Our consortium worked hard to make M²ARE available for the scientific community. Here we share the latest publications achieved!
Bio-CO₂ as feedstock for renewable methanol in maritime applications, M. Bampaou, V. Mitrousis, E. Koliamitra, P. Stratigousis, H. Schloesser, I. Matino, V. Colla, K.D. Panopoulos
Capture, sampling and analysis of biogenic CO₂ streams for methanol synthesis, E. Koliamitra, V. Mitrousis, Tz. Kraia, G. Kardaras, N. Lazaridou, T. Grekou, K. Fotiadis, D. Koutsonikolas, A. Asimakopoulou, M. Bampaou, K. D. Panopoulos
Competitiveness thresholds for maritime methanol synthesis employing biogenic CO₂ emissions and renewable hydrogen, V. Mitrousis, E. Koliamitra, M. Bampaou, K.D. Panopoulos
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Do you want to know more about the M²ARE value chain? 👉
Watch our full webinar giving insights on AirLiquide’s pilot distillation plant, biogenic CO₂ valorization and LCA assessment. |
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| | 3.6. News and updates from the EU projects’ landscape 🤝 |
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| | New publications for the COCPIT project! As part of the project, colleagues from Universitat Rovira I Virgili, in collaboration with colleagues from GEPEA, University of Nantes, have produced two publications now available in the journal Algal Research.
Both studies focus on optimiszing biomass recovery from the microalgae Parachlorella kessleri for biofuel production. The first study (Rivas et al., 2025) analyzes the effectiveness of aqueous biphasic systems using fresh extracts obtained by mechanical cell disruption. The second study (Zurita et al., 2026) evaluates the same system applied to extracts obtained by ultrasound pretreatment.
These results represent a fundamental advance towards more efficient and sustainable microalgal biorefineries!
👇 Full publications available by clicking the buttons below 👇 |
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| POSEIDON is an EU project promoting the use of e-methanol in shipping through innovative solutions and viable local value chains. A key aspect is understanding the social impact on communities and stakeholders. The POSEIDON consortium hereby invites the public to take part in a short survey and share your perspective on e-methanol in shipping. Your feedback will help us better understand public views on local e-methanol production and its use in ships across the EU. The questionnaire is open until 31 October 2026, and responses are welcome from everyone, regardless of background or prior knowledge. |
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Focused on high-efficiency conversion, the project integrates advanced biogenic carbon and renewable hydrogen pathways to deliver sustainable fuel solutions for hard-to-abate sectors. By optimizing regional biomass supply chains, NextFuel drives European energy autonomy and supports Net-Zero targets. The project is planning to organize a webinar, where the progress and the most important results of the project will be presented. Probably, it will be held within the 2nd semester of 2026. More details about this event will be available soon. |
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M²ARE is now goint through its last year of duration in a technology validation process, where the research prepares to demonstrate its real impact potential to decarbonize the maritime sector.
During the next months, dissemination activities will increase, and another joint webinar is expected to be organized by the end of this year. Factsheets, outreach articles and social media campaigns will be released with updates from the project.
Thank you for taking time to read this newsletter, and stay tuned!
M²ARE Team |
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| Figure 6. M²ARE project consortium. |
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